Course overview
This course interrogates cinema and television as art forms and as industries, alongside the study of the role of culture in social life. It presents key concepts and theories in sociology and cultural studies, and demonstrates ways in which the representations produced by cultural and media organisations intersect with general political and economic processes. Overall, the course locates screen media and other texts and discourses in social, cultural and transnational contexts.
Year one
Students' activity in film studies includes core studies in Hollywood and international film history, the analysis of film texts and critical perspectives, and the development of the television medium. Students also consider sociology and cultural studies in a range of contexts, including an introduction to the developing traditions of cultural studies. These introductory modules provide the foundation upon which the programme subsequently builds.
Year two
The second year allows students to deepen their understanding of key critical and theoretical approaches in the study of the production, circulation and cultural reception of film and television. The cultural sociology strand addresses the theory of the sociology of culture, explores methodologies for cultural analysis, and trains students in qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Year three
In film and television studies, final year students produce an independent research dissertation and choose from a range of advanced modules. Students also examine the implications of the study of language for an understanding of culture and study the political dimensions of identity in contemporary society.
More information
See also the School of Sociology and Social Policy.
Entry requirements
A levels: ABB, including one essay-based subject at A level
English language requirements
IELTS 7.0 (no less than 6.0 in any element)
TOEFL iBT 100 (no less than 21 in listening and writing, 22 in reading and 23 in speaking)
Alternative qualifications
For details please see alternative qualifications page.
Modules
The modules we offer are inspired by the research interests of our staff and as a result, may change from year to year. The following list is therefore subject to change but should give you a flavour of the modules we offer.
Typical year-one modules
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Approaches to Film and Television
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Film History 1
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Culture in Contemporary Society
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Understanding Contemporary Society
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Social Worlds and the Sociological Imagination
Typical year-two modules
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Transnational Film and Television
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Understanding Cultural Industries
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Knowing the Social World: Paradigms and Practices
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Film and Television in Social and Cultural Context
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Media and Popular Culture
Typical year-three modules
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Film Studies Dissertation
Typical optional modules
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Television Cultures
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Video Production Project
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Citizenship, Identity and Globalisation
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Migration and Citizenship
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Gender and Media
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Science, Technology and Society
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The Blockbuster
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Tourism, Identity and Risk
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Representing Reality
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Culture and Power
Skills and careers
You will have completed an independent research dissertation and will have an in-depth knowledge of specific areas of film and television studies, including production, circulation and cultural reception. You will have gained a critical understanding of screen media and creative industries, and a broad knowledge of the key role of cultural processes in shaping social life.
Average starting salary
The average starting salary for 2009/2010 full-time graduates of the Department of Culture, Film and Media was £17,700.*
*Average starting salary from known destinations of first-degree leavers who studied full-time, 2009/10.